Escape
by Kasai to Kasumi
Summary: Gourry stole the Sword of Light, but he had help from someone he will never forget.
1. Not Forgotten

**Escape**

Set during the scene in Slayers NEXT episode 40 (I think) with Gourry and Lina at the campfire.

(In other words, Gourry _didn't _fall asleep.)

**A/N:** I gave Gourry's brother a name. And I also gave him two younger sisters. Just so you all are aware… teehee!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of these characters, with the exception of Kain, Sae, Clarice, and Eve (who isn't important).

Gourry's POV – _thoughts in italics._

**OOO**

"Isn't there someone waiting for you somewhere?" Lina asked shyly. I listened carefully, interested in where this conversation was headed. "I mean, someone you – really like?" She finished.

_So how do I answer this? Amelia told me I have no tack… whatever that means. _

"Yeah, there is," I answered. I felt Lina tense. I glanced over at her to make sure she was all right. She couldn't speak too well. It looked like she was choking on her words and swallowing them again.

"I… didn't realize." She faltered and turned away from me.

"There's my sisters, and my brother and parents – well maybe not so much my father but…" I went on and on. Lina sighed in relief and looked up to me.

"You never talk about your family, Gourry. Tell me about them," she said.

I scratched my head, deep in thought. Guess it couldn't hurt to tell her.

"Well, I've got a brother, Kain. He's the one who was supposed to inherit the Sword of Light. Maybe… my father promised the sword to whoever became the better swordsman, actually. It set up a sort of competition between my brother and me. It didn't really seem like my father wanted to hand it down to me, though. Our family got into so many arguments over the sword. My mother got so upset over it that she fell ill. She was in that state until the day I left, so who knows how she's doing now…

"My sisters Clarice and Sae never had to worry about the sword, but they were just as upset over the family feud. Clarice was a bit too young to understand it all, though. She was the lucky one."

Lina listened to me intently. I have to admit it felt nice to tell my story to someone I could trust. I haven't seen my family in years. I was happy to talk about them and go through my memories again, even if they weren't all that pleasant.

"The arguments got worse and worse over time, so I stepped in to stop it. It was then that my father officially turned on me. So basically, all I had left was Sae. She didn't like it, but she was the one who ended up helping me steal the Sword of Light and escaping."

I blinked a few times. The fire was making my eyes burn. I looked away from it to glance at Lina again. She was deep in thought, like she always is. She'd been quiet for a while now.

"Hey, usually you're always talking up a storm. You never shut up, so what's going on?" I asked.

Well, I got hit for that one. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't see it coming before. Let's just say that question proved to be bad idea number 27 of the day. Lina kept count. Stupid big mouth of mine...

"Go on," she whispered softly. "Tell me everything."

So I did.

**OOO**

**A/N:** I know it's short. All my first chapters are short… Some sort of complex I have, maybe. Next chapter will start the actual story of how Gourry and Sae stole the Sword of Light! Yay! I hope no one hates this…


	2. Ideas and Ideals

**Aw this is the first time that my stories are getting very few reviews. Actually, it's just my Slayers stories. What's up? Slayers fanfic readers don't review? Or has there been less reviews for everyone lately? I just want some interaction! Whether it be a complaint about something that needs to be fixed, or just to tell me how I'm doing… you know… Like those signs on the back of trucks and all. "How's my driving?" Haha!**

**A/N:** This chapter is a look into the past with Gourry still living in Elmekia Empire. Here I've made up a few more aspects of Gourry's life… such as his home. His home is rather large, somewhat like a medieval stone manor. It's stone because I had a dream about it and I liked the stone. Don't ask… So in other words, Gourry's family is fairly well off, and they even have a few men guarding the grounds. I wouldn't call them royalty or anything of that caliber though! But that's the gist of things.

This time there is no POV, just third person. I kinda liked Gourry's POV though, but I wrote this in third person before I even thought about using his POV again. Damn!

I talk SO much! Sorry, guys!

**Chapter Two**

Gourry perched himself on the stone wall in the premises of his family's home, munching on a hunk of bread. He lazed about for a while, staring at the clear sky. His mind was empty, as per usual, but it was all right. Gourry never told people this, but his defense mechanism was to clear his mind and not think of his problems. He was told that it would never solve anything, but what was there to solve if he couldn't remember the problem in the first place? No one really agreed with him on this, but such is life. He stayed this way for a few minutes until he was interrupted.

"Gourry?" Came a small voice. Gourry looked down again to find Clarice resting her elbows on his knees. "Hi, big brother. What are you up to?" She looked up at him with big blue eyes.

Gourry smiled and patted her head. "Nothing much. What do you want?" Clarice looked away and then hopped up onto the wall to join him. She held out her hands. In them were a few silver pieces.

"I really wanted to go into town and buy something, but I don't have enough money for it!" She said hopelessly, showing Gourry the money in her palms. Gourry tapped a finger to his chin.

"Hmm, what do you want me to do?" He said, reaching his hand down. Wordlessly, he grabbed the silver coins and pocketed them.

"Hey! That's mine!" Clarice shouted, feeling betrayed.

"Relax a moment, will you?" Gourry said chidingly. He reached into his tunic and pulled out a small pouch. He emptied the contents into Clarice's hands. "That's enough, right?" Clarice's eyes widened.

"For me?" Gourry nodded. "Thank you!"

"So what are you going to get?"

"A plum!" Gourry nearly tumbled clean off the stone wall. What a fall that would have been.

"That's it?!" Clarice nodded and then ran off giggling. Gourry shook his head, watching her go. He glanced over a bit to see Kain standing not too far off. His older brother shrugged and sat down beside Gourry. Gourry turned to dangle his legs over the other side of the wall. Beneath him were colorful tents where the merchants had set up shop for the workday ahead of them.

"That girl has you wrapped around her little finger, you know that?" Kain commented, grinning at Gourry.

Gourry laughed. "Yeah, well I'd like to see you resist!"

Kain held both hands up. "I have enough on my plate already. Eve is no walk in the park either, you know."

"Oh yeah, her. When are you two getting married, anyway?" Gourry asked. Eve was a dark-haired woman of equal standing to the Gabriev family. She and Kain were betrothed after an agreement between the Zeteta family and the Gabriev family. However, Kain was smitten enough with her to be happy with the arrangement.

"Soon, very soon. Within the next few weeks, I'd say." Gourry's eyebrow raised. "Cool, a wedding." There was a pause in their conversation. "There's gonna be food, right?"

Kain smacked Gourry in the head. "Listen little bro, control yourself," he laughed. He stood up and stretched toward the sky. "I'll see you later, Gourry." And he left.

Gourry watched his brother's retreating back before going back to sky gazing. He could hear the bustling noise from the street below, and footsteps upon stone as the guards of his family's estate marched behind him. He frowned when he heard a few misplaced steps that seemed hurried. The footsteps got louder and closer. Gourry tore his eyes from the sky and glanced behind him to find Sae, her white sundress flowing out from beneath her. Her expression wasn't anything quite as picturesque.

"Sae, what's the matter, huh?" Gourry asked with concern. She ran to the stone wall Gourry had been sitting on for some time, and leaned over the side, trying to catch her breath. "Sheesh. You okay?"

"No! I'm not… okay!" She said between gasps. "You know what I just heard?" She said, pointing a finger at Gourry.

"Um, no." Sae poked his nose.

"I heard more news about the Sword of Light!" She said frantically.

"Oh I already know about that." She looked surprised.

"And you're okay with that? Huh? Are you?" Sae questioned.

"Well, why not? Father said he'd give the sword to the better swordsman. And Kain's been slacking off his training lately, now that he's got a woman." Gourry chuckled.

"No, no! Things have changed. That's not the case anymore, Gourry!" Sae said in exasperation. Gourry's eyebrows rose.

"Then what's going on?"

"Father's decided to give it to Kain! He's completely ignoring you!" Sae cried to him. She grasped his shirt in her fists. Gourry put a calming hand over hers. "Well? Gourry?"

"Do you know why?" Gourry asked, slightly perplexed. This was too sudden for him to take in all at once. Thinking of his father was like a slap in the face. And it stung forever after.

"I'm not sure… but I heard him discussing it with one of his friends. Those goons are so shady…" she commented under her breath. "I really have no idea, but you know that father isn't too fond of you…"

"Though I can't imagine why…" Gourry trailed off. Sae smacked his chest.

"You know why! Kain was the firstborn. Father's a sucker for tradition. He doesn't like that you, the younger brother, could possibly one-up Kain. The same thing happened in his family, remember?" She ranted.

"Nah, I don't really pay attention to family history lessons."

"Well you should!" Sae said harshly. "Uncle was younger than father, and he received the Sword of Light. Of _course_ father was bitter about that. But then uncle died, so the sword went to father by default! Still, it wounded his pride, and the same thing is happening now."

"So what you're saying is that Kain is getting the sword just because he's older?"

"Yes, exactly. Glad you caught on," Sae remarked sarcastically. "I don't like this. Kain can get pretty full of himself sometimes. I don't really want the Sword of Light in his hands, you know what I mean?"

Gourry peered down at her. "Kain isn't that bad. But it's okay. I'll take the sword." He put up a finger. "How's that? Good idea right?"

"Gourry, be serious!" Sae yelled between clenched teeth.

"I am serious! I'll take it!"

"Well good luck trying to hide that thing from father!" Sae glared at him.

"I'll leave with it then." Sae glanced up sharply.

"No. Absolutely not. You're not leaving us!" She demanded, stomping her foot on the ground. Gourry hopped off the wall and wandered off, deep in thought. "Gourry! Hello?! Oh, forget it," Sae muttered. She hugged herself tightly, stealing quick glances around her to make sure no one had eavesdropped on their conversation. Soon after, she stormed off as well.

OOO

**A/N:** I just love author's notes… Well, here are a few notes about the new characters (my excuse to babble some more):

**Sae:** Clearly has the closest relationship with Gourry. She's 16 at this time, while Gourry is 18… she worries too much and is involved with the Sword of Light, just like the rest of the family (save Clarice). She was trained a bit in hand-to-hand combat and has beaten up quite a few of would-be thieves, earning her a bit of a reputation. Despite this she tries to maintain a feminine attitude. She's the one who gets on Gourry's case most often, and has to explain things to him quite a bit.

**Clarice:** Not too much to say about her, besides the fact that she is the young (about 9 years old) and innocent little girl with a taste for plums. She worries about both her brothers and knows that there is a conflict over the family heirloom. She just doesn't know how bad it really is. She is very blunt and honest.

**Kain:** A good-natured man in his early 20's. Lately he's been running around like a chicken without a head trying to prepare for his wedding, so he hasn't developed his fighting skills nearly as well as Gourry has. Unlike how other authors portray Gourry's older brother, I chose to make him a good person, with no strong animosity for Gourry. I leave that to their father!

**The Nameless Father: **He is the older brother in his family, but wasn't given the Sword of Light regardless. Because of this he feels that younger brothers aren't fit to wield the sword, which is why he wants Kain to inherit it. This was explained in the chapter by Sae. He and Gourry don't get along too well because of this. Gourry is basically an innocent victim. As for his wife, she is a caring woman who hates seeing her family in such conflict. She worried herself so much that she lost sleep, failed to eat properly etc. Now she lies in bed, very sick.

I'm starting to bore myself… I'm not such a great writer. Hehe.


End file.
